Fastening device for mail-boxes.



0. H. SMITH.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR HAIL BOXES.

APPLIOATION rmm In 2, 1908.

918,385. Patented Apr. 13,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Svwzntot 42 0. W MW 0. E. SMITH. FASTENING DEVICE r011 MAIL BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1908.

Patented Apr. 13,1909.

I Q vihwooza v W l CL W atiouwg UNrrnp s'rarns PATENT OFFlQE.

OLIVER H. SMITH, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO MARVIN A. GUSTIS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR MAIL-BOXES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed mo 2, 1908.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Serial No. 230,603.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER H. Sirirn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastening Devices for Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of lastenings designed for securely locking in position upon a post, building, or other support, such receptacles, boxes, or casings as are usually exposed out of doors and utilized for various purposes, and which are only intended to be capable of being opened by an authorized person.

While capable of the general application above indicated, the invention possesses special utility as a fastening device for mail boxes, and has particularly in view a simple, easily locked, and practical fastening of this character which enables a mail box to besecurely and eflectually locked to its post or other sup ort, and positively prevents the box from eing removed in any way except by manipulation from the inside of the box by an authorized person with a key to the box. Therefore, the present invention is intended to secure a mail box against removal by unauthorized agencies by means of a fastening device only operable from the inside of the box, and which is also secure against being picked from the outside of the box.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved fastening device of the character noted, which is thoroughly housed from weather conditions, involves but few parts and an entire absence of springs or other complications, and which is also readily adaptable to the standard letter box fittin s which are now largely employed in the U. postal service.

With these and many other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, cornbination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

The essential features of the invention, involved in the relationship between the catch and locking members of the device, are necessarily susceptible to structural modifications, and to embodiment in difl'erent forms.

of construction, without departing from the l scope of the invention, but certain ractioal 5 cm odime'nts. thereof are suggeste in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a face view of the coupling piece of the main supportin elements for the box, exposing one form of the improved fastening device seated in said coupling iece. Fig. 2 is a similar View of the holder racket of the main supporting elements which is usually bolted or otherwise permanently secured to the post or other support. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the com lete device, showing the same in its looks condition. Fig. i is a view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating the catch member tilted back to its'inoperative position, permitting the letter box to be removed from its support. Fig. 5) is a cross sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. l. Figs. 6 and F details in perspective, respectively oi the tiltable catch member and of the locking member or guard employed in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 3 and Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing a preferable form of the invention involving a tilteble catch member which is pivoted to the coupling piece of the main support. Figs. 9 and 10 are views similar to Fig-s1 6 and 7, respectivel of the catch membar and the lock ng mom er embodied in the construction shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is a detail view of an expedient that may be resorted to to provide for holding the locking guard against movement when in its locking position with reference to the catch member. Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

It is the purpose of the resent invention to preserve, as far as possi Ie, the standard letter box fittings such as generally employed in the U. S. postal service, and to equip these fittings with the improved fastening device claimed herein, though it will of course be understood that the fastening device can be used with any suitable supporting elements which provide for coupling the box to a post or other support. However, for illustrative l purposes, the standard letter box fittings are 1 shown in the drawings, and the same primarily comprise the slidably interlocked elements 1 and 2 which are respectively secured permanently by bolts, screws, or other fasteners, to the post or other support 3, and to the back wall oi a mail box 4. The element 1 constitutes what may be termed a holder l bracket of a general hollow dovetailed formation and formed with the inclined or curved longitudinal side retaining flanges 5, and at its lower end with a forwardly projecting shield flange 6. invention, it is proposed to also provide the holder bracket 1, at a suitable point therein, with a forwardly projecting and horizontally disposed keeper projection or abutment 7, the purpose of which will be presently eX- plained. The said other element 2 constitutes a coupling piece of a hollow dovetailed formation, having the inclined or curved side engaging flanges 8 slid-ably embracing and interlocked with the flanges 5 of the bracket 1. Also, the coupling piece 2 is provided at the top with a rearwardly projecting shield flange 9 adapted to cover and close in the top of the holder bracket 1, while the bottom. flange 6 of the latter performs a corresponding function for the bottom of the coupling piece 2. Furthermore, the said coupling piece 2 is preferably provided near its bottom edge, with an offset guard projection or flange 10 which overlaps the bottom shield flange 6 and hence protects the device against the insertion of a pick by an unauthorized person with burglarious intent.

To provide for adapting the improved locking device to the fittings above described, the base plate portion 11 of the coupling piece 2 is provided therein with a receiving opening 12 within which are seated the two members 13 and 14 constituting the fastening device which cooperates with the keeper projection 7. The member 13 is 'atiltable catch member, and referring first to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, it will be observed that this catch member essentially consists of a bar arranged longitudinally within the opening 12 and provided with an overbalanced weighted upper end 15, and formed at its lower end with what may be termed rest elements or feet 16 having a loose support at the bottom edge of the opening 12. At one side the catch member is )10- vided with oppositely arranged offstan ing rounded cam projections 17 and the said catch member is further provided with a longitudinal guiding and housing recess or slot 18 extending practically the full length of the bar forming the catch member and communicating at the top with a keeper groove 19. The said recess 18 slidably houses therein the looking member 1 1 which constitutes a shiftable locking guard. This locking guard is preferably made of a single bar or strip of metal and is provided at its upper end with a laterally deflected lock projection 20 which is preferably inclined or curved to have a wedging engagement with a correspondingly curved beveled cam face 21 at the engaging end of the catch member. At its lower end, the locking guard '14 is provided with a forwardly projecting finger According to the present 9 j 23 in the mail box wall, and at an interme 1 diate point, the said locking guard 14 is pro- 5 vided \-.ith a presser element 2 1 whose end I portions are in the form of wedge elements 25 having a wedge engagement with the cam projection 17 of the catch member 13.

The parts described may be conveniently, and loosely, held within. the opening 12 by a transverse retainer bar 26 secured to the coupling piece 2 and bridging the opening 12 at one side of the members 13 and 14.

From the foregoing it will be observed that in applying the mail boxto its support, the coupling piece 2 is slid onto the bracket 1, with the locking guard 14 elevated so that its presser 24 lies over the cam projection 17 and holds retracted the weighted upper engaging e'nd 15 of the catch member. In this position the lock projection 20 engages upon the top edge of the catch member so that when the parts reach the position shown in Fig. 1, it is simply necessary to draw the guard 14 downward to release it from the cam projection 17, and thus permit the overbalanced weighted end 15 to move into locking engagement beneath the fixed keeper projection 7. Then by inserting in the play opening 23 a temporary stop block or e' uivalent element 26 the locking guard is ield against movement so that the fastening device could not be released. by turning the post. or support upside down and thus reversing the parts.

With the construction described, when it is desired to release the fastening, it is sim ply necessary for the party who has access to the box to release t e finger piece 22 and then slide the guard 14 upwardly, which moves the wedges of the presser 2 1 over the cam projection 17 and thereby retracts the engaging end 15 of the catch member to the cleared position shown in Fig. 4.

In the preferable and simplified form of the invention shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the presser and cam elements herein described, are omitted, and instead of having simply a loose mounting of the catch member 13, the latter is provided at an intermediate point, and at opposite sides with pivot studs 2.7 having a pivotal mounting in bearings provided therefor at the sides of the receiving opening 12 in the coupling piece 2. Also, inthis con-- struction, the wedge action provided for by the elements 20 2l is unnecessary, as when the parts are brought together with the finger holding the locking uard 14 elevated, it is simply necessary to re ease the finger from the finger piece 22 when the coupling piece 2 has dropped to its lowest position, whereupon the engagingend of the catch member will move under the keeper projection 7 and the locking guard will drop down bringing its projection 20 one side of the engagin end f of the member 13 with the result of oldpiece 22 projecting through a play opening i ing such end locked against any possibility of becoming disengaged from beneath the keeper 7 exce tthrough the authorized raising of the loo ring guard to clear the projection 20 from the top of the catch member. After thus clearing the projection 20, in the construction shown in Fig. 8, it is also necessary to press laterally upon the finger piece end of the guard 14 to draw back the engaging end of the catch member so that the mail box can belifted oil' of its support.

In carrying out the invention, various expedients may be. utilized to insure the best and most practical results, and in this oonnection it may be observed that though the tiltable catch member is shown as provided With an overbalancer weighted upper end, it will, of course, be understood that the feature of causing the upper end of the catch member to move beneath and into engagement with the keeper projection 7 may be eliected in various ways, such as the wcdging action shown in. 4, or by equivalent means without departing from the scope of the invention. Also, instead of employing a temporaly stop block for holding the locking guard against movement from its locking position, any equivalent means may be substituted, such for instance as suggested in Fig. 11 of the drawings. In this ii re of the drawings, there is illustrated the ife ii of providing the lower end of the locking guard with a hinged and shouldered finger piece 22 adapted to be swung into engage ment with an edge of the o ening 23 and thereby provide an efi'ectua holding stop WlllCll secures the lock ng guard against movement until the said hinged finger piece has been released from the inside of the box.

Various other changes in the form, propor tion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the s irit or sacrificing any of the advantages of t e invention.

I claim:

1. A fastening device of the class described comprising a-fixed sup orting element having a keeper, a remova le coupling member, a catch member carried by the coupling member and engaging the keeper, and a shiftable guard having a locking engagement with the catch member.

2. A fastening device of the class described comprising a fixed element having a keeper, a coupling element, a catch member carried with the coupling member and having an overbalanced end engaging the keeper, and a locking guard for locking said catch member. w,

3. A' stoning device of the class described comprising a fixed member, a removable element, a catch member carried with the removable element and having a locking enga ement with said fixed member, and a oc 'ng guard having a locking engagement with said catch member.

- 4. A. fastening device of the class described. comprising a fixed element, a coupling els ment, a catch member carried with the coupling element and having a weighted end having a locking engagement with the fixed element, and a locking guard shiftably mounted at one side of the catch member and having means for locking the latter.

5. A fastening device oi the class described, comprising a fixed element having a keeper, 1 coupling element, a catch member carried with the coupling element and having an overbalanced' end engaging the keeper, and a locking guard slidably mounted at one side of the catch member and having at one end a lock projection to engage behind the engaging cnd ol' the catch member, and at its other end having a linger piece exposed from the inside of the box to which the fastening is applied.

6. A fastening device of the class described comprising a fixed element, a crnipling ele ment, a pivotal catch member carried with. the coupling element and havi r a locking engagement with said fixed element, and a locking guard having a locking engagement with the catch member.

7. A fastenin device of the class described, comprising a hired element having a :eeper, a coupling element, a tiltable catch member carried with the coupling element and having a pivotal mounting therein at an intermediate point between its ends, said catch member having a weighted engaging end and a guiding and housing recess, and a locking guard slidably mounted in said recess and pro vidcd at one end with a lock projection to engage behind one end of the catch memher, and at its other end having a finger piece exposed from the inside of the box to which the lastening is ap lied.

8. In a device of the c ass described, the slidably interlocked supporting elements, one of which elements carries a shield flange at the top thereof, and the other of which supporting elements carries a shield flange at the bottom thereof, one of said su orting elements also carrying as an additional member a sup lemental guard projection arranged to bri go the joint or space at the free edge of said bottom shield projection, and fastening means housed within said two elements.

9. A fastening device of the class described, comprising a fixed member having a keeper, a removable member, a catch member carried by said removable member, a locking guard having a locking engagement with the catch member, and a stop for holding said locking guard against movement.

10. A fastening device of the class described, comprisin a fixed member having a keeper, a removable member, a catch men1- ber carried by said removable member, a

locking guard for the catch member, and a sto consisting of a hinged element at one i the bottom with an ofiset guard projection en of the locking guard and arranged to i so arranged as to close one end of the space engage a fixed element for holding the locki between the two elements against the insering guard against movement. tion of a picking tool or similar instrument.

11. In a device of the class described, the In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my 15 slidably interlocked supporting elements and signature in the presence of two witnesses.

fastening means housed within said ele-' @LIVER H.SM1TH. nents, one of said elements being 1provided \Vitnesses: at the top with an overhanging shie d flange, D. P. VVOLHAUPTER,

10 and one of said elements being provided at g R. C. BRAnDocK. 

